New Ways to Wear Gray

We were expecting to see a bouquet of pinks, peaches, and purples for spring, but a more surprising makeup shade also popped up on runways (including Christian Dior, Valentino, Narciso Rodriguez, and Rag & Bone). And you won't need to wait until March to wear it. Gray, which was used to create soft, but still edgy, makeup looks, is perfectly appropriate for fall.

Makeup artist Pat McGrath used airy gray shades to subtly define the eyes at both Christian Dior (where she used a gray-taupe shade in the crease and along the lower lash line) and Valentino (she paired a light pink lid with shimmering, pale gray in the crease and on the outer corners of the eyes). "It's about being ultra-beautiful. That's where we came up with the idea of using light, powdery tones on the face," said McGrath, backstage at Valentino. "It's really poetic." For a soft wash of gray on the eyes, try Sephora Colorful Mono Eyeshadow in City Fog or Dior 5-Couleurs Designer All-in-One Artistry Palette in Smoky Design.

On nails, it was a different story: Manicurists steered clear of once-popular greige polish in favor of cement gray (Deborah Lippmann used two coats of her own shade,Waking Up in Vegas, on fingers and toes at Narciso Rodriguez) and pale ash (to create the effect at Rag & Bone, Jin Soon Choi used Revlon Nail Enamel in Smoky Canvas). "It's got a chic edge," said Choi backstage at Rag & Bone.